Spacer guide



Sept. 1, 1931. F. L. G. STRAUBEL 1,821,245

v SPACER GUIDE Filed Marbb s. 1950 Mi 7 7 6155} iiieder Z075 I6 Sf faaidPatented Sept. 1, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT v OFFICE I FREDERICK no.STRAUBEL, or'enEiiN BAY, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR .TOTHE Aura MATIC FILE &INDEX coivrraNy, or GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN, A coRroa-ATIoN OF WISCONSINSPACER GUIDE Application filed March 3, 1930. Serial No. 432,752.

The invention relates to spacer guides for use in file drawers and moreparticularly it relates to improved spacer guides operable for use inboth vertical and inclined posi- [5 tions in drawers having either astationary to the drawer guide rod as to tend to pack or distort thecontents between two adjacent guides following this inclination to thevertical as a result of tilting the end panel of the drawer outwardly.The invention contemplates the provision of improved'means for fasteningspacer guides to the longitudinal guide rod with which file drawers areusually equipped, and an object of the invention is the provision ofimproved fastening 5 means for guides so constructed as to permit theguides to be easily rotated about an axis transverse to the guide rodand to be moved longitudinally of the rod as desired. Still anotherobject is the provision of improved fastening means for spacer guideswhich also serve as spacers" fixing the minimum space between adjacentguides and thereby permit documents or material positioned therebetweento be freely removed and replaced without danger ofs oil or injury tosuch documents.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a device of the kinddescribed, which is simple, compact, durable, reliable, eflicient andsatisfactory for its intended purpose. Y I

, Still another object is to generally improve spacer guides of the kinddescribed.

Many other objectsand advantages of the constructionherein described andshown will be obvious to those skilled in the art, from the disclosureherein given.

To this end my invention consists in the r novel construction,arrangementand combination of parts herein described and moreparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like orcorresponding parts, i x

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a spacer guide embodying the device ofmy invention;

Fig. 2' is a view of a file drawer having a plurality of the spacerguides embodying the device of myinvention mounted therein;

Fig. 3 isa view of a fragmentary portion of a spacer guide showing theimproved fastening device comprising my invention drawn to a largerscale; and

F ig. 4 is a section along the line 1-4 of Fig.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the numeralgenerally'designates a spacer guide embodying the device of myinvention, a plurality of which are shown inoperative position in a filedrawer 1 1. s The drawer 14 has a tilting front end panel 15, which,when in expanded position, as shown in Fig. 2, permits the spacer guidescontained therein to be inclined to the vertical at a con venient anglein either direction.

Each ofthe guides '10 comprises a sheet'of material 11, preferablycarboard, equipped with a metal tab 12 having a window 18 therein forindexing the panel or contents of the drawer which it precedes.

A guide rod 16, extending the full length of the drawer 14, ispositioned in a depressed channel (not shown) at the bottom of thedrawer. v a

The invention resides in improved means for fastening the spacer guide10 to the guide rod .16, such means being so constructed as to permitthe guide to be moved longitudinally of the rod and drawer and to berotated about an axis transverse to the guide rod.

The fastening means includes a plate 17 having its ends curved back andpositioned one on either side of the sheet 11 by a plurality of rivetsor eyelets 18 extending through the oppositely positioned end portionsof the plate and the interposed sheet '11. iThe plate 17 has its middleportion projecting below the sheet-11 and so folded or .turned back uponitself as to form a pair. of

. erly spaced and increases the amount of space aligned horizontaltubular members 19, separated by a recess 20. A pin member 21 ispivotally mounted in the tubular members 19 and has its mid portion bentto form a downwardly extending vertical loop member 22 projecting fromthe recess 20. The recess 20 is so arranged as to provide room betweenthe edges of the plate 17 which form the upper boundary of the recess,and the upper face of the loop member 22 that the guide rod 16 may beinserted therethrough to a close sliding fit.

The sheet 11 is so fastened to the guide rod 16 as to permit the spacerguide 10 to be moved in the drawer 1d longitudinally of the rod and tobe rotated either forwardly or rearwardly at an inclination to thevertical. For this purpose, I have mounted the plate 17 upon the loweredge of the sheet 11, the plate being folded back upon itself so thatthe ends are positioned'one on each side of the sheet. Oppositelypositioned ends of the plate 17 are fastened together and to theinterposed sheet 11 by means of rivets or eyelets 18. The middle portionof the sheet 17 projects downwardly below the bottom edge of the sheet11 and forms a pair of aligned horizontal tubular members 19 separatedby the recess or aperture 20. A pin member 21 is mounted in the tubularmembers 19 and has its mid portion projecting downwardly to form a loopmember 22 in the recess 20.. In mounting the spacer guides 10 in thedrawer 14, the guide rod 16 is inserted in the recess 20 between theedge of the plate 17 and the loop member 22. The loop member 22 is givensuch a curvature as causes it to cooperate with the under face of theguide rod 16, fitting the same sufliciently close to permit only slightrotation of the pin 21 relative to the guide rod 16 but permitting it tobe slid along the rod. The tubular members 19 provide hingedconnections'between the sheet 11 and the pin 21 so that the sheet 11is-not only rotatable to either forward or rearwardly inclinedpositions, but may also be moved longitudinally of the drawer by slidingthe plate 17 and the pin member 21 along the rod 16. Each of the guides10 are thereby held spaced apart a distance determined by the diameterof the tubular members 19 regardless of whether'the guides are inclinedforwardly or rearwardly or are in vertical position. The 'V-shaped space28 in the drawer 14: provides a wide free opening 29 in the drawerbottom by reason of the adjacent spacer guides being tilted, oneforwardly and the other baclrwardly about their respective tubularmembers 19 as axes.

This construction keeps all the guides propat the bottom oftheV-spreadfor better removal and insertion of documents positioned between theguides. The contents of the drawer are thus saved against mutilation inremoving or replacing as well as against soiling and other injury andwear and tear.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that variousimmaterial modifications may be made in the same without departing fromthe spirit of my invention; hence I do not wish to be understood aslimiting myself to the exact form, construction,

arrangement and combination of parts herein described and shown, or usesmentioned.

WVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A device of the kind described comprising a sheet of material, aplate member mounted on the lower portion of and project ing downwardlybeyond the lower edge of said sheet, said plate having a recess in itsprojecting portion, said projecting portion forming a pair ofhorizontally aligned tubular members positioned on opposite sides ofsaid recess, a pin pivotally mounted in the tubular members, said pinhaving a downwardly extending loop portion positioned between saidtubular members for the purpose described.

2. A device of the kind described comprising a sheet of material, aplate member mounted on the lower portion of and projecting downwardlybeyond the lower edge of said sheet, said plate having a recess in itsprojecting portion extending upwardly to the lower edge of the sheet,the projecting portion of the sheet comprising a pair of horizontallyaligned tubular members positioned on opposite sides of said recess, apin pivotally mounted in the tubular members, said pin having adownwardly extending loop portion positioned between said tubularmembers for the purpose described.

3. A device of the kind described compris ing a sheet of rigid material,a plate member mounted on the lower portion of and projecting downwardlybeyond the lower edge of said sheet, said plate member having a recessin its projecting portion extending upwardly to the lower edge of thesheet, the projecting portion of the sheet being turned upwardly to formhorizontally aligned tubular members, a pin pivotally mounted in thetubular members, said pin having a downwardly extending loop portionpositioned between the inner ends of the tubular members for the purposedescribed. 4. In a device of the kind described, a shee of material, andmeans for pivotally and slidably fastening said sheet on a rod. saidmeans comprising a pair of aligned tubular mem bers projectingdownwardly from the sheet on opposite sides of the rod, and a pinmounted in the tubular members with its mid portion looped underneath tocooperatively engage said rod.

5. In a device of the kind described, a sheet of material and means forpivotally and slidably fastenlng said sheet on a rod,said meanscomprising a plate member fastened on the lower portion o l' the sheet,the lower edge of said plate member having aligned tubular membersthereon, said plate membefihaving a recess between said tubular members,a pin member pivotally mounted in said tubular members with its midportion looped downwardly, the recessed edge of the plate and the loopedportion of the pin being spaced apart to permit the insertion of saidrod therebetween with the loop portion of the pin cooperatively engagingsaid rod.

6. The combination of a filing drawer having a longitudinally extendingguide rod positioned in the bottom of the drawer with a spacer sheetmounted in the drawer transversely to the rod, apair of aligned tubulari spacing device pivotally mounted and longitudinally movable upon therod, said device comprising a sheet of material, a pair of alignedtubular members adjacent the lower edge of the sheet, said tubularmembers being positioned on opposite sides of the rod, a pin memberrotatably mounted in said tubular members, the mid portion of said pinbeing looped downwardly and cooperatively engaging the lower face of therod.

8. The combination of a filing drawer having a guide rod positionedtherein with a spacing device pivotally mounted and longitudinallymovable upon the rod, said device comprising a sheet of material, a pairof aligned horizontally extending tubular members adjacent the loweredge of the sheet and positioned on opposite sides of the rod,

a pin member rotatably mounted in said tubular members, the mid portionof said pin member being looped downwardly and cooperzciitively engagingthe lower face of said ro 9. The combination of a filing drawer having alongitudinally extending guide rod positioned in the bottom of thedrawer with a spacer sheet mounted in the drawer transversely to therod, a plate member mounted on the lower portion of and projectingdownwardly beyond the lower edge of the sheet, said plate having arecess in its projecting portion extending upwardly to the lower edge ofthe sheet, the remaining projecting portion of the plate comprising apair of horizontally aligned tubular members separated by said recess,and a pin pivotally mounted in said tubular members, the portion of saidpin between said tubular members being looped downwardly for cooperatingengagement with the lower surface of said red when the rod is insertedin said recess for the purpose described.

10. The combination of a filing drawer having alongitudinally extendingguide rod positioned in the bottom of the drawer with a spacer sheetmounted in the drawer transversely to the rod, and means cooperativelyengaging the sheet with the rod to permit the sheet to be movedlongitudinally of said rod and rotated about an axis transverse to therod, said means comprising a plate member mounted on the lower portionof and projecting beyond the lower edge of the sheet, said plate memberhaving a recess in its lower projecting portion, said project-ingportion forming a pair of. aligned tubular members positioned onopposite sides of said recess, and a pin pivotally mounted in saidtubular members, said pin having a downwardly extending loop betweensaid tubular members,

said guide rod positioned between said loop 7 and plate with the loopcooperatively engaging the under surface of the guide rod for thepurpose described.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this first day ofFebruary A. D., 1930.

FREDERICK L; G. STRAUBEL.

